Tag Archives: activities

Bubble Themed Day

Posted on by
Bubble Paint

The weather is warming up and I am ready to have a little fun. I find myself scheming and planning our summer schedule already and have decided I just can not wait! So, we are going to celebrate our nice weather with some bubble fun and turned it into a Bubble Themed Day with a few activities and some great books.

Bubble Activities

Basic Bubble Fun

I don’t think I have ever met a child who does not enjoy bubbles, so keep it simple. Go outside and blow bubbles. Let them pop them, count them, step on them or anything else you can think of. I can still send my kiddos outside and they will keep blowing and playing with the bubbles as long as they have bubble solution available.

Advanced Bubble Fun

Have a little science fun by adding different objects with holes to a shallow dish of bubbles and see what happens. For older children, have them search for items on their own and see what they come up with. You can use string, plastic lids with holes cut into it, use your finger and thumb in a circle (the O.K. sign) or anything else you can think of. My personal favorite is a slightly open fist and if I immerse my hand in bubbles, I can blow bubbles out the other end of my hand.

Bubble Art

Create bubble paint by adding water, tempera paint and a couple squirts of dish soap to a pie tin or cup.  Take a straw and blow into the mixture to create bubbles. Then take a sheet of paper and touch it to the top of the bubbles to create a fun design. (Bubble paint = About 1/2-1 cup water, 1-2 T of paint per couple squirts of dish soap…not an exact science.)

Bubble Bath 

An easy activity to do to end a Bubble Themed Day is to have a bubble bath, of course! My kiddos are always excited for a good bubble bath!

Bubble Books

And you can not have a Bubble Themed Day without some good bubble books. We went to our local library to see what kind of bubble books they have and found a couple fun ones. What will you find? Tip: When searching for books using their catalog, use “bubble” instead of “bubbles”. We did not find any children’s books with “bubbles”, but had plenty of options without the “s”.

 

6 Ways to Celebrate World Creativity and Innovation Week {April 15-21}

Posted on by
April 15-2, 2013

Have you heard about World Creativity and Innovation Week? Me either…that is until recently. I am always up for learning and doing something new and so I just had to find out what this was all about. It is a new event started in 2002 and according to the site dedicated to this week:

“It’s about spreading the word about how you and others are using their creativity – new ideas, new decisions, new actions – to make the world a better place and to make your place in the world better too.”

What a fun concept! What are you going to do? Here are six ideas to help get you thinking of something fun and creative you can do with your children:

Use your imagination

Where do your kiddos want to go? What would it be like? Put on costumes and pretend to go there. For instance, my children decided to visit the moon once. We made space helmets out of tinfoil and they created a rocket out of chairs. They had quite the adventure!

Get Messy

Experiment with your hands and get messy. Make homemade play-dough. Paint with finger-paint or pudding. Play in the mud. Some of the most creative time my kiddos have spent outside usually has to do with water and dirt. They make rivers, cities, and dams. Boy, do they come inside a mess, but they love it!

Eat Something New or Different

Create your own meal or make something new. Eat dinner for breakfast or breakfast for dinner. Trying something new to challenge your taste buds is always a fun experience.

Build Something

Try building using something new or different like marshmallows and toothpicks, sugar cubes, whatever is in your recycling bin (that could be fun!), refrigerator boxes, or keep it simple with something you already have on hand, like building blocks. I am always amazed at what my children can come up with when I pull out a box of blocks. All it takes is someone to egg on a “let’s see who can make the tallest tower” type of competition and they are off. Soon they are building cities, farms, bridges and more.

Visit an Art Exhibit or Museum

Experience creativity and innovation by visiting a local art exhibit or museum. In our case, we we have a Children’s Museum near us that encourages creativity and experimenting with simple art and science. It is a great way to get my kiddos thinking about how things work or try different types of art.

Solve a Problem

Ask your children for help with a household problem and see if they can help solve it. Try to implement the idea. This one kind of sounds scary to me, but I have been surprised with some of the ideas my kiddos have come up with before and maybe it will be one of these times!

Whatever you decide to do, make sure you have fun and no matter what you do be creative!

 

5 Ways To De-stress With Children – Stress Awareness Month

Posted on by
Stress Awareness Month

 

With life’s busy schedule it can be easy to forget the stress we put on ourselves and our children. In my own family, I know it can get pretty stressful to just get out of the house sometimes! With April being Stress Awareness Month I thought it would be fun to list some fun ways to de-stress for yourself and your children.

Yoga

My kiddos love to do yoga. I will admit, the first few times we only get to do 2-5 minutes of it or they may complain the whole time, but their endurance is increasing. I now have one child who asks for it all the time. She loves it and thus her brother tries to jump in and do it, too.

There are a bunch of resources available to help you teach the different poses, but I recently found a couple short, free videos via Hulu with a focus on children: AM Yoga for Kids and PM Yoga for Kids. You can also check out your local library for some books that may help demonstrate the different poses. The best experiences we have had are with books and videos that incorporate an animal or a story into the yoga pose/workout. For example, I found this book at our local library:

“You are a LION!: and other fun yoga poses”, by Taeeun Yoo

Coloring

Coloring is not just for fun but can be very relaxing, too (even for parents). It forces you to sit down and slow down. My children are tickled pink when I can color with them!

Singing

Oh, the magic of music! It can cause many emotions and can also relieve stress. Singing is definitely something that helps me de-stress. We have been experiencing some grumpy and stressed out kids in our carpool on the way home, so, I have incorporated the “Singing Rule” for these moments. If we want to say something, we have to sing it! It is amazing to see how quickly a change in mood can occur and soon we are all giggling.

Naps

Who doesn’t love a good nap? Probably a kiddo who really needs it! In our neck of the woods we call them “rests”. I try to teach my children that it is okay to take a nap when we are having a rough day. I’ll admit that most of the time a rest is the perfect answer for a stressed out child.

Play Dough and/or Rice Play

Get out your favorite play dough recipe and make some homemade play dough. Let your children beat, squish, and shape the dough all while getting out their stress in a healthy manner. Rice Play is similar to Play Dough. We usually used a 10 lb bag of rice and poured it into a large square container to allow the children plenty of space to dump, pour and bury. Rice Play is also a very calming activity.

 

Stress is always going to be a part of our lives, but that does not mean we have to keep it around. Take notice of it and do something fun to de-stress with your family!

*Image courtesy of Phaitoon (coloring photo) and Stuart Miles (play dough photo) / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

5 Ways To Keep Christmas Simple With Young Children

Posted on by
ID-10065211

Let’s face it, some years we have the energy to do it all and some years the idea of the Christmas season overwhelms us. In our case, my children sound like they want to do it all BUT this poor mom is feeling something different. With the addition of our baby girl this past month, I am feeling the need to keep Christmas simple and just enjoy our little family. So, I have come up with a list of 5 ways to simplify the Christmas Season and some possible activity ideas for each.

1. Family Traditions

Make a list of traditions that you like to do each Christmas. If the list is a bit long, pick a few of the most important or the ones that are enjoyed the most to do this year.

Example of Activities:

In past years we have made an advent calendar with an activity to do each day. The activities could be super simple, but even setting up this calendar this year seems overwhelming. So, instead  I will fill the countdown bags with a goodie for each day (the kids love this) and pick 1 activity to do each weekend. Like, a favorite light display we like to go to or a Christmas concert as a family, etc.

2. Serving Others

As a family look for ways you can serve and help others outside of our family.

Example Idea:

This can be as easy as taking a plate of cookies to a neighbor or donating items to a needy cause. Pick something as a family and make sure everyone gets a chance to participate and get that “warm feeling” that comes from serving others.

3. Homemade Ornaments and Christmas Decor

This can be an ongoing activity throughout the month and my children love to make them. They even expect to see them when we pull out all the ornaments, even though, most of them are paper!

Example Idea:

Paper Gingerbread Men Ornaments made from card stock, hole punches, glue and ribbon. Or Homemade Snowflakes or Homemade Scented Holiday Decorations.

4. Thoughtful and Simple Homemade Gifts

I have learned that the gifts that my children make are the ones they are most excited to give others.

Example Idea:

Homemade notebooks: Stack a few sheets of colored and/or white paper together, fold in half and then staple them together creating a mini book. My young children love to make and give these, but they also love to receive them. My 3 year old made a few of these one year for her 5 year old brother and he took one to church every week to color in. He loved it!

Once you start thinking about it, it is easy to come up with more ideas, too.

5. Spend Time as a Family

I know this sounds silly to even list, but every year I find we are running around to do this and see that. Sometimes we just need a little reminder to stop and spend some time together without an agenda. Maybe this is just with your little family or maybe this is with your extended family.

Example Idea:

Have some hot chocolate and sit by the Christmas tree while listening to music.

OR

With go Christmas caroling to nearby neighbors. I will admit this is an activity with a slight agenda, but worked great to bring us together, especially for a larger family. We did this last year with all my extended family and had a blast. I am pretty sure hardly anyone in the neighborhood could hear us singing (we need to find a better way to amplify our voices), but none of us were complaining. It is the one time last year we all got together and was a very low stress activity.

5 ways to keep Christmas simple

 

Top photo courtesy of: David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Continue Learning Outside the Classroom

Posted on by
chalkboard

School is in full swing and the kids are coming home full of new ideas and questions and knowledge.  School is fun and exciting but it doesn’t have to stop when they step on the school bus.  Take your child’s education a step further and introduce everyday activities and experiences as learning opportunities.

Embrace the Mess- Artistic expression cannot be contained on a piece of paper or tabletop. Let the creative juices flow outside the lines and into the world around. Instead of painting on an easel, spread paper across the garage door, the side of the house or on the deck. If you are tight on open space use an open parking space.

Break it Down- We want our children to pitch in and help to develop some responsibility. Instead of going down an entire list of daily chores and tasks in one sitting, try breaking it up into morning and evening responsibilities. Becoming overwhelmed over the to-do list is a sure fire way to bring down a child’s energy.

after school activities, developing sports and arts for kidsFind Time for Extracurriculars- Local parks and recreations departments, Boys and Girls Clubs, and even your own child’s school are great places to find opportunities for fun after school activities. Sports and arts are integral components to growing minds and bodies. You never know, a new hobby might emerge.

Hit the Books – Reading is one of the best ways to keep minds growing and thinking and expanding. Visit libraries and bookstores so they can find the genre that best suits them. Let your children see you read. Encourage group readings where the children and parents take turns reading a classic or humorous story.

Promote Independent Play – Everyone needs their own space. If your children share a room or don’t have a dedicated play room, carve out a nook or corner that each child can call their own. It could be a special pillow next to a toybox or bookcase, it doesn’t matter. Let that be where your child can create, imagine, read, and learn on their own. Don’t use this space as punishment.

Talk about Everything – The incessant questions are sometimes too much after a long day, but don’t stomp on your child’s curiosity. Ask your child questions about school, friends, playdates and even shows they’ve watched on television. Expand simple questions about “what’s for dinner” into ideas for new meals and cultural cuisine differences.

Chalkboard image provided by Corey Leopold via Flickr
Ballet image provided by Thejbird via Flickr

Smiles, Slime and Learning Can Go Hand in Hand

Posted on by
World Smile Day activity

 

October 5th is World SMILE Day. I must have Halloween on the brain because when I saw this I automatically thought of how SLIME brings a smile to my childrens’ faces. In actuality, the day is more about encouraging everyone to “devote one day each year to smiles and kind acts throughout that world.” So, I am taking this opportunity to bring some smiles to my family’s faces and make some learning fun at the same time. We we will perform some acts of kindness that day, too.

Monster Goo

I believe that this first activity goes by many names and was told it is typically called “Oobleck”, but we have always known it as “Monster Goo”.  It is super simple to make and loads of fun.

What You Need:

  • 1 part water
  • 2 parts cornstarch
  • Bowl
  • Mixing spoon or fork
  • A large cookie sheet or a clean flat surface to play on.
  • Food coloring (optional)

Directions:

Step 1: Add water and cornstarch together into the bowl. If you want color, add it before  you add the cornstarch – just a couple drops.

Step 2: Stir together slowly. The faster you stir the harder it will get to mix it up. Be patient and just dig in it nice and slow. It should mix up quickly and will look like liquid in the bowl when it is mixed completely.

Texture Tip: It is ready when it is firm when picked up and liquid like when it is not moving. That sounds confusing, but you will know what I am talking about when you have it right.

Now the Fun Begins…

Here are some ideas of things that you can do with it:

  • For children who are learning letters, numbers or learning how to spell, have them write letters with the goo. My 6 year old son has never been so excited to spell words and my 4 year old was fascinated by watching him.
  • Roll the goo into a ball in your hand and then see what happens when you stop.
  • Create a monster. Roll it up again and then lay it on the table (or pan) and add 2 marbles for eye balls to create a monster. Watch him turn into “Monster Goo”.
  • Talk about the texture of what they feel. Is it hard? Soft? Sticky? Slimy? Are your hands soft or rough?, etc…you get the idea!
  • Give each child a couple of bowls/cups and/or spoons and let them transfer the goo from one to another.

Fun Tip: If the goo gets too dry and is not turning into liquid as fast as before, just add a little water and the fun will continue.

For a cool Halloween look, add some glow-in-the-dark paint for coloring and turn off the lights. We didn’t have to add much and because we used pink it did not seem to leave any after color. The kiddos loved it!

Flubber

Another fun and definitely more SLIME looking recipe that we attempted was for Flubber.

What You Need:

  • 2 tsp Metamucil
  • 2 cups water
  • Small pot
  • Stirring spoon

Directions:

Step 1: Add Metamucil and water together in pot.

Step 2: Stir together and begin to heat on med-high. You will want it to start to boil, but not be on a high boil. Keep on heating while stirring occasionally until a lot of the moisture is gone. We heated for 5-10 minutes 3-4 times, letting it cool in between heatings to see if it was the texture desired. The original instructions we used (found here) encouraged the use of the microwave, but when we followed them, we literally dehydrated the mixture to nothing. So we decided to go with the stovetop where we could observe it better and it was much cooler to watch transform.

I will admit that it turned out very cool to make and look at, but it was not as handy for spelling letters as I had hoped. And for us, once it got pulled apart a bunch, it never really looked like it’s starting form…”Slimey”. It was still a fun project, though!

Monster Theme Day

Posted on by
Monster Theme Day - RustyandRosy

Halloween will soon be knocking on our door, and as it has to be one of my kiddos favorite holidays we thought we would share our Monster Theme Day with you. Monsters can be scary, but they do not have to be. We picked a fun monster themed book and a couple of easy crafts to go along with it.

This idea all started when my mom reminded me of a favorite childhood book…”Sesame Street: the monster at the end of this book.” I suddenly wanted to share it with my kiddos, too. I did a quick search and discovered that this book was in our county library and requested it to our local library. The kids were so excited to have a monster book. I will admit, they were a little nervous the first time they read it, but by the end they were super excited and asked me to read it over and over again and even tried to read it to each other. That has not happened in a while. Oh boy, how they love monsters!

Preschool Halloween Activities

If you do a quick google search, I discovered there is a copy of this book right now available for viewing online through the illustrator, Mike Smollin.

To extend the monster fun, try one of these fun and easy crafts:

Hand Ghosts

What You Need:

  • Paint – we went with white, black and red
  • Paper – we chose black
  • Paintbrush

Directions:

Preschool Hand Ghost Craft

Step 1: Paint palm and fingers of hand with paint.

Step 2: Quickly place hand paint side down on paper. Gently press and slowly remove hand.

Step 3: Turn the paper around so fingers are pointing towards the bottom of the paper. Paint eyes and mouth on.

Super simple and took less than 5 minutes to make. My son decided to get creative by painting red angry eyes and to make extra ghosts with his finger tips.

 

Shape Monster

Preschool Monster Craft

What You Need:

  • Paper – a variety of colors and scraps are great!
  • Scissors
  • Glue

Directions:

Create a variety of shapes in different sizes and let your child’s imagination go crazy. My kiddos started with a body shape, the older one traced his using a bottle he found in the pantry. They used the scraps we had available on the table and requested certain shapes as they went along. It was a fun way to practice shapes and use shapes to make other things (like their monster shoes). As they were creating their monsters they started to talk about what their monster was like and what it did. I absolutely loved hearing their discussion! We spent a good 20-30 minutes making our monsters. This was a huge hit!

Have fun with your Monster Day! I would love to hear how it goes, if you give it a try.

Learning While on Camera – Be a Movie Star

Posted on by
Educational Movies

Ready, Action! I have yet to meet a child who does not like to see themselves “on film.” My two young children are constantly asking to see video of themselves and they get such a kick out of it! In fact, they will ask to see the same video clips over and over again.

A great activity is to create a short film and let your children be the stars and even the directors, if they desire. With the wide availability of digital cameras and their video capabilities this can be a pretty entertaining activity for even older children/teenagers. We have made a couple videos so far and have really enjoyed the results. You can base it off a favorite book or recently read story. We usually base our videos off of a nursery rhyme, because it is the easiest to put together with young children and the children also choose how to act out each line. Eventually, we will do something a little more difficult, but for now this is perfect. It keeps them entertained, gets their brains working and they always love the results!

For this particular “film” we made below we captured no more than 2 minutes of video and edited (with software already on my computer) down to less than 1 minute. If you want to do it all in one take to avoid editing, everyone always enjoys bloopers! As you can see, it is not perfect. This was a quick film and by the time I realized we accidentally missed the end of one line, the kiddos were already in bed, but I am sure they will still enjoy this. For another example of a film we have done you can check out our This Little Pig video, too.

 

What You Need:

  • A digital camera or camcorder
  • Actors and actresses
  • Props (optional)
  • A script/plan (we used a nursery rhyme)
  • Editing software (optional)

Directions:

Step 1: Gather your actors and actresses and discuss what you are going to do. Let them gather props they think they need.

Step 2: Practice it once or twice or a lot if you want it perfect. My actors/actresses wanted to do this fast, so we quickly discussed and let them have one practice and then I recorded them right there (personality and all).

Step 3: Lights. Camera. Action.

Step 4: If you would like to edit (cut parts out) it, there are usually programs on your computer and sites that are pretty easy to figure out. I have a free software on my computer called Windows Live Movie Maker and there are free sites, too, like One True Media, that are easy to use.

Step 5: Have fun. I love hearing them giggle every time they watch this film.

This is even a great activity for older children, too. I have even watched my older nieces and nephews create their own short films many times. They will spend hours prepping scripts and props and then recording their short film (usually in one take, so they do not have to edit). They will usually do this all by themselves, too. I can see my 6 year old wanting to do this, too. He really wanted to take charge of the camera with the above video. As soon as I find my camera stand, I will let him have a go at it!

 

Top digital image credit of: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Journal Writing With Children

Posted on by
sticks

We all need a little inspiration for our journal writing when we just need something new to write about. I recently came across a journal idea jar in my closet and thought it would be fun to make a version for my children to help liven up our current journal writing. My 4 and 6 year old enjoyed it so much that they even had patience to color a picture to go along with their writing.

What You Need:

  • Popsicle sticks
  • Markers
  • Pen
  • A list of questions or unfinished statements

Directions:

Create a list of questions, unfinished statements and filler words that you know will interest your child. The filler words are words to put in the blanks of unfinished statements to expand their use. (see below)

Possible questions and statements:

  • My favorite ________ is….
  • If I were a ________ I would be…
  • My favorite day was…
  • If my Mom was a ______ she would be…
  • When I wake up I like to…

Possible filler words:

  • Animal
  • Super Hero
  • Food
  • Color
  • Toy
  • Game
  • Book
  • Cousin
  • Song
  • Sport

Find a good spot for your child(ren) to write. Let them pick out a sentence stick and a filler word stick, if needed. I color coded the filler words, so they stood out from the rest of the journal sticks.

If your child is old enough, have them write out their sentence and fill in any other information to finish their thought. For younger children, write their response for them.

When your child is finished, have them draw a picture to go along with their sentence. This has to be my kiddos’ favorite part!I also write a description of their picture, if one is needed, when they are finished.

Now that it is summer time, we have started journaling before bed. It has been a great way to calm them down before bed and I love talking about what they wrote in their book. It has to be my favorite part of the evening and I even let them stay up a little longer just to write and color.

“Secret Missions” – Sneaking Reading and Math Into The Day

Posted on by
Making Chores fun

Just using the phrase “Secret Missions” spike curiosity in my two young children and they eagerly want to be a part of whatever it is. Every now and then we all need a change of pace. That is where “Secret Missions” come in! Give some variety to your regular routine and sneak in some number, letter and letter sound recognition, along with some writing and reading practice. You can even sneak in some math for an added challenge, if you want. Right now we use “Secret Missions” as a part of our chore routine, hence the lovely hairdos my kiddos are styling with in the picture above.

What You Need:

  • Paper
  • Pencil or pen (or markers, if your children are obsessed with them like mine are)

Directions:

Step 1: Create an encryption code. Keep it simple or make it as complicated as you like. I recommend starting simple and making it more complicated as needed. For now, we assigned a number to each letter of the alphabet in numerical order. It is a good review for my almost 1st grader and a little bit of a challenge for my 4 year old. The 4 year old gets a chance to practice her letter/sound recognition and is able to put a name to some new numbers. She can currently go to 12, so going to 26 is fun little push for her. Plus, she loves to do what her older brother is doing and he loves to help her.

Ideas For Variety Or To Make It More Challenging:

  • Assign each letter a number not in numerical order like the above example.
  • Add math to the code. Instead of 1, 2, 3 for each letter make it all addition for the code or a variety of addition and subtraction. (i.e. 0+1, 1+1, 2+1 or 2-1, 1+1, 5-2, etc.)
  • Add shapes to the code. For additional options you can use patterns (star star or square circle, etc.)
  • Or use a variety of above.

Step 2: Create your secret code. This can be whatever you would like…a list of chores, something fun to do, a place you are going, a list of items to pack for a trip or a day out, etc.

Step 3: Decipher the code!

Like I said above, we are currently making our morning chores into “Secret Missions”. We have started with only 3 Missions for now and the current reward is 15 minutes with their favorite computer game. Each child deciphers one mission at a time, then they sound out the words (with help, if needed) and complete the job before they can work on the next Mission. Even though my 6 year old grumbles at the idea of chores and always starts grumbling through the start of figuring out his mission (because that is work for him, too! =-) ), I am amazed at how fast he runs off to do his job and comes back to the table to conquer the next Mission. Even my 4 year old cleaned up her room without me reminding her and did it without asking for help. That never happens!

This is what my son’s final mission looked like when he was done. The next time I write the code I need to make it in lowercase letters, so he does not get in the habit of writing in all caps. (His teacher did not like that last year. =-))

Enjoy!